Vortex
by XxX Italian Rose XxX
Summary: This isn't taken from any specific book, just a little help from the Maximum Ride series and my own imagination.    Lexi is discovering just how fragile life is. Sorry the summary isn't very good. I hope the story is better than the summary. :  ENJOY!
1. Prolouge and Dedications

Vortex

_I knew I was going to die soon, but I didn't know __how __soon that was. All I knew was that there was this part of me that wanted more of the material life. It was always hungry, but I never let that bother me. I had come to many near death experiences, but I never thought it would come to this._

_I found myself breathing heavily in the middle of the forest. I didn't know where I was. I was running. Running away from something, or someone, chasing me; my brother! Why was he chasing me? Sure, I've been mean to him occasionally, but why would he be chasing me with a knife in his hand? All I knew was that if I stopped running, he would kill me._

**Dedicated to:**

Joseph Signorelli – my dad and my closest friend

Townsend Carr – my first mom (I wish) that has always treated me with much respect and kindness

Teagan Signorelli – my sister. You have always been there for me!

Kaelec Signorelli – my brother that will always provide me with new knowledge

Kelsea Kilbride (Nerd Friend) – one of my closest friends. You are like a sister to me and will always have a special place in my heart

William Kerwin – my other brother! I will always have a very special bond with you!

Shivani Dixit – my recent friend. You make me smile _a lot_

Olivia Barton (and family) – my second family. I love you all!

Gali Elkon-Lev – one of my best friends. Too many inside jokes to count!

Vivian Wang – my recent friend. Also, too many inside jokes to count!

Andrea Invernezzi – one of my best friends since 4th grade. You too, are like a sister.

Edina Mesan – although my dad doesn't like you, I disagree with him completely. You will also always be one of my best friends.

Morgan Rott – thank you foe being there for me in some of the hardest times of my life.

Delany Gardner-Sweeny – for being a really good friend.

Christian Hynes-Scott – my texting buddy! One of my best friends

Johannes Thomason-Larsen – one of my closest friends

**I LOVE YOU ALL!**

Special mention to all of my other family members and close friends! There are too many to list!


	2. Chapter 1

Chapter 1:

"Lexi, this is so unfair!" My sister said. Her name was Isabelle, Izzy for short. She had long brunette hair and big, beautiful, green eyes. "Why do we have to be on top of a roof in the middle of the night? I was supposed to be at a sleepover tonight! C'mon! It's in the middle of summer and I don't want to get bitten by mosquitoes!"

"I just want to show you one little thing! Remember, this is Los Angeles, anything can happen. You see those bright orange dots in the dark over there?" I pointed to a dark corner of a neighborhood.

"Yeah, they look like they're in groups of two! They're probably just fireflies or something!"

"No, they're not." As I said that, her expression changed. She looked confused. "They're _Vampires. _And those orange dots are their eyes."

"Oh. Yeah right. I don't believe in Vampires. And even if I did, which I _don't,_ I would never believe that their eyes glow like that." Through the darkness, I could see my sister rolling her eyes. "Wait, why are they coming towards us?" Her expression suddenly turned to fear.

"You'll see!" I said while I hopped down from the roof. My black non-high-heel boots landed on the ground with a _thud._ It wasn't very high, but my feet still had to work to absorb the shock from the impact of the ground. "I thought you don't believe in _Vampires_?" I called from the ground. Although she didn't answer, I already knew her response. I could just imagine her rolling her eyes at me again and her saying 'yeah, yeah, yeah' blowing off the whole 'I told you so' conversation again. However, through the darkness I could barely make out the orange flicker of fear sparkle through her eyes.

I turned around and headed towards the bright lights in pairs of two that would launch themselves at me if I weren't careful.

I was getting closer to the bright orange lights. Suddenly my stomach had a knot in it. The knot was big. Very big. It made a ripple shudder through my body, starting at my toes and taking control over me like a vast ocean of blackness. Then it was clear again.

I was still walking, only slower. The light breeze ruffled my blond hair. Frankly, I was not a dumb-blonde, but rather another version of Sarah Michelle Gellar in Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Who knew that she actually _is_ a vampire slayer in real life? I just thought she was a good actor (which, by the way, she is).

"Hey you!" I called to the vampires. They turned around startled. I heard the familiar hungry, savage growls coming from deep within their throats as they started making their way towards me.

I turned around and ran. My long blonde hair flowing behind me. I was not fleeing, but instead I was moving the show to some place my sister could see it.

"What are you doing? If you bring them over here, they'll kill both of us! What the fuck are you doing?" My sister was panicking, as always!

"Relax, they won't kill us. Just watch." I was suddenly gaining confidence and I started to slow the pace, the group of vampires and I were almost to the center of the street.

We reached the center of the street and then I stopped. I turned around to face the vampires. I took a deep breath to calm my nerves.

The silver writing with my name written in cursive up the side of my stake danced in the moonlight.

Life to me is just an act. Everyone has a role. You get onstage and sing your song, or say your line. Who gives?

The answer to that question is, at the moment, locked away in some secret vault I have to find, (metaphorically speaking).

Why did I have this job?

Oh, right. The stake in my hand brought me the reason. It twinkled and glittered as the moonlight shone and made the silver glow like the reflection of the moon on a calm, quiet lake.

To save peoples' lives!


	3. Chapter 2

Chapter 2:

I had successfully defeated the vampires with only a few bruises on my body. I would get better with a little practice.

"That was amazing last night!" My sister was all piped up by the excitement of killing things. "That was cool how when you stuck that wooden stick into the vampires, they turned into dust! When are we going to do that again?"

"Okay, first of all, that wooden stick is called a stake. And second, what do you mean by _we_?_ We're _not going anywhere near vampires. However, _I_ am! This is my job, not yours!"

"Job?"

"Yeah, job. You know, I'm chosen to fight the demons from hell. I'm not any ordinary human. Well, actually I am, but considering how I've been training to fight hell-hogs–" demons "– my whole freaking life, that pretty much makes me a superhuman. And plus the fact that our so called 'parents' used to experiment with our DNA, which I told you about the other day, pretty much also makes me a super human. And you're not, air-go _you are not coming with!_" Yes, that's right folks, _experimented with our _(more like my) _DNA. _You see, at a very young age our parents experimented on all of us, or so they said, and they turned me into a demon-slaying freak with super-strength and all of those other 'powers' that some in handy fighting demons. So far there is no evidence that they experimented on Izzy or our brother.

"But–"

"No buts! I don't want you getting hurt!"

"Fine!"

My sister kinda sorta had a hard time grasping the concept of NO with a capital N and a capital O!

"OK. I just don't want you getting hurt. What I do isn't all fun and games. It's serious and takes hard work and dedication. If I mess up, just a little, itty bitty, teensy weensy bit, someone could get hurt, and possibly killed," She winced at my seriousness. Good. FEAR ME! "And it would be my fault." I heard the door to my room open and Izzy and I both turned around to face whoever was intruding. My hands, by instinct, curled up into tight fists, ready to fight if the stranger was a threat.

"Lexi! Izzy!" My brother Shaun came bursting into the room. His squeaky voice filled the walls and made the slightest echo. I missed him and all, but I was already annoyed at how squeaky his voice still was. Was his voice ever going to get any deeper? I hope so.

"Shaun!" Izzy and I both practically cried with tears of joy. Fourtunatly, Shaun does not know about the little experiments that our parents did on us, so he trusted them fully. He had finally gotten back from his year-and-a-half long experience with my parents (_Ugh!_) in their home in Spain. No. My parents are not Spanish. Truthfully I don't know what they are. No, scratch that. I do. They're an evil bitch couple who got together and had three children, experimented on them, then left them so that they could go drink and do dirty stuff while their children sat at home, played board games, and ate cereal. And when the oldest (me) was fourteen they then decided to move to Spain and leave their no good, genetically enhanced, kids behind. I had to take care of my sister and my brother for four years while my parents had a good-ole' time in Spain. God. They were such assholes!

"Shaun? What are you doing back?" I asked. I must've had a questioning look on my face because he acted as if he already knew my question. "You were supposed to be there another six months…"

"Oh!" He said a little too soon. "I just wanted to see you guys." He smiled a smile so wide it looked like it was going from one ear to the other. Like those crazy psychopath clowns with too-big mouths and red noses. It's not like I don't trust my brother or anything, but I got this weird feeling in my gut. Something was wrong; I just couldn't put my finger on it. I knew it was right under my nose, but I guess my nose was a little stuffy because I had no idea.

Izzy's high pitch squeak-of-a-voice interrupted my thoughts. "Oh! We're so glad you're back! I've missed you so much!" I saw a tear float down her cheek and spiral down to the floor. It left a small dot of salty water on the oak wood. "Give me a hug you rascal!" She walked towards Shaun with her arms outward to give him a bear hug. He took two steps back and put his hands up defensively.

"No thanks. I'm good…" He hesitated. "Not that I don't want a hug or anything, but I have a bruise on my ribs from…" he hesitated again, "skateboarding. Sorry!"

I could tell he was lying. Every time he was lying he would stroke a hand through his mocha colored hair, look down at the floor, put his hands in his pockets, and rock back on his heels. This was one of those times.

"How are they doing?" I asked, trying to look concerned. He saw through my fake I-don't-really-care-how-the-fuck-they-are look. He knew I was talking about my parents. In my house, they are normally referred to as 'they' as in 'evil bitches from hell'.

"Oh, good. Yeah…they're…" he hesitated, "good."

"Good!" Izzy was so happy she was poo-less. She jumped up and down and made little claps with her hands. The charm bracelet on her hands jingled. I could just make out the little carved heart that had her full name, Isabelle, written in the center of the heart with diamonds.

"Hey, Shaun," I smiled one of my fake, innocent smiles, and Shaun looked at me. His ice blue eyes seemed to look deep, down, into my soul. To places I haven't even been, let alone he should have been. I knew he couldn't read minds. He's just an ordinary teenage boy. Not a grim-lock or warlock or something. Or was he? "Why don't you take some sheets and make your bed in your room. The sheets are clean and in the washer. You remember where that is right?"

"Yeah, I haven't been gone that long!" He gave me a cocky don't-tell-me-what-to-do look and walked out of the room. But before he turned around I swear I saw his eyes glaze over a dark maroon shade. Just for a second. There were only two reasonable explanations for that. One, Shaun was, in fact, experimented on. Or two, he was evil. And that was definitely _not good!_


	4. Chapter 3

Chapter 3:

On top of a cold, brick building, the wind ruffled my hair. I looked to the pink and orange clouds that were lit up by the falling sun as I waited for night to fall.

"Lexi, is that you?" I heard Izzy call from the darkness of the shadows.

"Yes, how did you get up here?" I asked.I thought I told her to stay inside and lock her window. "Do you ever listen to me when I tell you not to do something, say, I dunno, coming outside at dusk when all the vampires hunt?"

"Oh. I was just getting some air. And no, you will never get me to fully listen to you." She raised her finger and impersonated her version of a phony baloney president. "Ma,am, I'm here to declare that the U.S. is now a free country!"

She and I both chuckled under our breath. "Well President red nose, I have to say, you picked a really bad time to declare something!" She immediately put her fingers on her nose.

"What do you mean?" Izzy asked in her normal voice. So naïve that she sincerely, positively, did not know what I was talking about.

"I'm patrolling."

"Patrolling?"

"Yeah." I responded. "You know that thing that I do when it gets dark and all the vamps start hanging out." I waved my wooden stake in the air, the silver writing with my name written pretty handwriting up the side (clearly not my handwriting!) glittered and danced in the sunset light.

She just stared back in utter and complete confusion.

"That thing where I have to loom in the shadows and pierce this wooden stick through the vamp's heart so they turn into dust and can't prey on any innocent people anymore."

"Oh. Sorry. Should I leave?" She asked innocently. I could tell she was trying to get me to say she could stay.

I was just about to say 'no' when I suddenly fell off the wall. Izzy started screaming behind me. The sound of another scream followed, the two cries were harmonized together to make a complete sound. I tried to pinpoint who it was coming from, and then I realized the second shriek was from me. All I could think about was what Izzy would do if I died. She would be so lonely and terrified. Stuck with Shaun. Shaun. I had to do something about Shaun and his mysterious behavior. Why was he acting so strange? I don't know, but if I survived this, I would figure out something. My whole life flashed through my eyes. I saw my family. My Mom on the beach with my Dad, me, Izzy and Shaun before 'they' turned into butts. The smiles on their faces. The thought that Dad and Mom once lived together with us and we all got along always made me smile. I seemed to be caught in the moment. Then the happiness faded and I was sucked back into stupid reality. Wind made my blonde hair fly up as the air under me ruffled my clothes. I fell, two stories. Because of my super-human strength I landed on my feet. But because of the shock, everything went black. Oh crap.


	5. Chapter 4

Chapter 4:

I woke up to find Izzy crying. Tears streaming down her face.

"OH MY GOD! Lexi, are you okay?" She managed to say between sobs and gasps.

"Yeah." My voice was husky and it sounded like I had just smoked a whole pack of cigarettes. (I don't smoke). "How come my body doesn't hurt?"

Izzy sniffed. "I don't know. You fell off the wall. It's…it's all blurry from there. But you died. And then…and then I…I think I healed you back to life. But I, I'm not sure." She stammered through the sentence. She started to sob again. This time she was sobbing so hard that her shoulders were shaking back and fourth. _Well, now Izzy might have been experimented on too! Great, just great. _I thought. "I…I thought that…" she sucked in air and gasped like a fish with no water. "Lexi, I thought I lost you!" She nearly yelled. Her voice cracked and she cleared her throat. She pulled her knees up to her chest, put her face in her hands, placed her buried face on her denim covered knees, and sobbed. Her knees were already soaked. I wondered how long she could cry before she didn't have any tears left. I heard her mumbling something that sounded like 'ohmygod, ohmygod, ohmygod.'

"Izzy, honey, stop crying." She looked up at me. Her eyes were filled with guilt and dread. I looked deep down in those big green eyes and saw that she thought that how I fell off a building was her fault. I puffed out a little cough. It sounded more like a wheeze and I felt my body flinch. "My throat hurts." I managed to say. I didn't even recognize my voice. It sounded like a stranger trying to get my attention.

She got up from the chair all too quickly. "Here, let me help." Before I could protest she had put her hands on mine and I felt a weird shudder. First, an ice-cold feeling that rippled from my toes to my head. Following that was a fire-hot cold feeling that also rippled. After what seemed like an eternity, the sensations stopped. My throat didn't hurt anymore and my eyes were so wide that it felt as if the skin around my eyes was stretching. "What? That's not possible. Or at least it shouldn't be." I heard myself whisper. "How...do you think that Mom and Dad experimented on you too?"

Before she could answer I heard the door to the hospital room fling open, then the soft _thump_ of footsteps as they made their way over to my bed. It was Shaun, all dressed in baby blue, (which made him look fairly gay), and a bundle of white and yellow roses. "Lexi! How are you feeling?" His, what should have been familiar, voice should have swept over me in a wave of relief, but this time, it only frightened me. His squeaky voice was gone. Now he had a deep voice with a hint of bad ass in it. But what made me scared shitless was that his voice sounded like one I had heard too many times before. An unmistakable tone: pure evil.

I decided not to tell Shaun about the whole 'I died' thing and lie. "My head hurts."

"That's understandable. The doctor said you fell and hit your head pretty hard. He was surprised that you made it. Most people die when they hit their head that hard."

"I guess I'm not most people." I managed a low chuckle. _Bravo! Super-healing!_

"Yeah, I guess not." He sighed and shrugged his shoulders. "Anyways, I have to go, meeting someone at Starbucks and three. Can't be late!" He laughed so lightly that I barely heard him. Then, right before he left the room, his eyes glazed over to a prickly color of dark maroon, and then he stalked off and slammed the door shut behind him.

"What's his problem?" Izzy sounded worried.

"I don't know. But did you see his eyes? They changed color."

"What do you mean?" Her smile was long faded.

I thought about his eyes. Maybe I was just imagining things. I mean, could eyes really change color? "I'm not exactly sure. Maybe he was an experiment to. But he's not in the best of moods."

"Maybe he's having a man PMS." Izzy sounded thoughtful, as if she actually believed that could happen. So I did the one thing that anyone could do: I laughed. Or tried to laugh, but when I opened my mouth to laugh, all that came out was a wheeze. Then I went into an out of coughing fit. The door of my hospital room flew open and a worried doctor, accompanied by a young nurse, ran over to my bed side. The doctor started playing with the machines, pushing buttons that made a little _beep_-ing noise. The nurse stood over me, her voice silky as satin.

"Calm down, calm down." She said softly. It was as if she could control my actions because, at a snail's pace, my coughing fit disappeared. The nurse backed away from the bed and stood there, pondering. If I were to put a large smile on her, bug rainbow colored hair and a red nose, she would have looked like the sinister clown from Stephen King's _It._ The doctor took one look at her and then gave her a 'what the hell' look. Then she stepped out of the room and shut the door behind her. The doctor came around to the front of my bed.

"What?" I asked, my voice high with a malicious tone. I gave him the 'what the hell' look that he had given the nurse.

"I'm afraid to tell you that while coughing you have popped a blood vessel, and now you have red dots all over your face." He chuckled under his breath then looked at me. I glared at him, trying to make my eyes seem like an ice-cold stare that sank deep into his soul. I could tell he didn't like my fierce look because he cleared his throat, looked down at the ground, and said, "I shall be going." then walked out of the room. My eyes followed him, still staring defiantly as if I was a tiger and he was intruding into my territory. I kept my eyes on his back. Then the door shut behind him and I let my eye muscles relax.

I looked over at my sister who was staring dreamily to the door of which he exited. "What's with you?"

"He's so hot…" She said that as if she had just seen the car of her dreams.

"No, he's not. I told you, no dating doctors. If you ever get hurt by demons, which I hope not, then how are you going to explain to the doctors why you have teeth marks all over you and an arm missing?" I pictured that in my mind, and it was enough to make my eyes burn with tears. "How…how did you…heal me?"

"I…I don't know. I just felt this need to help, to do anything to keep you safe. But when I touched you," she looked down at her hands, "when I touched you my hands started glowing. I don't know what happened, but I felt a sense of pure happiness. Like everything good was happening at once. And then you came back to life or something like that. Maybe you were just unconscious. But whatever happened, I definitely healed you."

"But…How is that possible? Only witches and certain demons can do that."

Izzy started pacing the room. Back and fourth and back and fourth. "I don't know." She gave out a little sob. "If I did, don't you think I would have told you? Maybe Mom and Dad are responsible."

The door to my hospital room opened again, and Izzy sat back down in her chair. "Why do we keep getting interrupted? FUCK OFF!" I muttered to myself.

A different doctor than before strode to the end of my bed; his face had no expression, or at least none that I could read. The edges of his lips twisted into a smile, "You are free to go home now." was all he said before he walked out of the room.

"Thank you…?" I muttered after him. I yanked the needles out of my arms, then, slowly and carefully, I started to get out of the hospital bed.

"Here, let me help." Izzy said, her voice soaked in worry.

"No. I can take care of myself!" I said a little more harshly than needed. Izzy flinched then sat back down, pouting. She was so ridiculously sensitive! "I'm sorry, it's just been a long day."

"Tell me about it…" I barely heard her mutter.

"Hey, what time is it?"

Izzy looked at the dark blue watch she had around her wrist. She rubbed her eyes so that the tears wouldn't blur her vision. "Hmm… It's about eleven." She looked up at me. "Why?"

"At night?"

"Yeah. Why?"

"Well, Shaun said that he was going to meet someone at Starbucks at three, and unless he's meeting someone at three in the morning, he was lying." I sat for a while recalling what had happened. He _had_ said three. And he had said he didn't want to be late. Well, whatever the hell he was going to sure as hell wasn't at three in the morning, and even if it was, he _sure as_ _hell_ wasn't going to be late!

"Yeah. I guess." Izzy sniffled. She didn't sound too concerned. She was engrossed in her own problems, or it might be my problems. I don't know. Everything was _so damn_ confusing. I wish I was a bird. Then I could fly away and forget everything behind me. I wouldn't be restrained from the sky. I could lay a hand on the clouds with a single bound and fly into the sunset. But I'm not a bird. I don't have wings. I also don't have very much freedom right now. I might have ninja skills, but that's not what I want to do with my life. All of my dreams – wasted.

But poor Izzy. All of this information she had acquired in the last few days have all been new to her. She not only didn't know that I had super human powers, but now she had found out that she might have super human powers as well. She must feel shocked at the least, if she's not _in _shock already.

"Alright, just let me change and we'll get the out of here." I said, "I'm tired of all of these doctors, especially since they don't know what the fuck they're talking about!"

"Umm… okay…?" Confused, Izzy gave me a _wtf? _look.

"Well, with my, uh, _powers_," if you put it that way, "I can heal unusually fast."

"Oh, you're a freak!" Izzy said, only half kidding.

"Yeah," I said, a bubble of giggles escaping from my lips, "I guess I am." Then, in a fit of rage, I took the ugly baby-blue hospital gown, threw it on the floor, and stomped on it. It was actually much more fun than I expected. Izzy rolled her eyes at me and I stuck out my tongue at her. After that, I took Izzy's hand, and together we walked out of the hospital.

Izzy and I walked out of the hospital with confidence galore, only stopping once to grab a snack out of the vending machine to fulfill our sweet tooth cravings.

Beside me, Izzy prattled like a typical teenage girl, "Mmm mmm mmm! The yummy taste of Butterfingers!" Izzy chuckled, "'Nobody's gonna lay a finger, on my Butterfinger!' I _love _that commercial! The phone rings and this guy is eating one of these–" she pointed to her candy bar, "– and then out of, like, thin-air this other guy appears and tries to steal the guy-on-the-phone's Butterfinger. But the guy-on-the-phone catches the Butterfinger-stealer-guy and staples him, well, not really _him, _but his clothes to the wall. Well, more like the cubical thingy."

_Wow, she talks _a lot! I thought. Just then my high-tech iPhone vibrates. I click on the _view text _button to find that it's a text from Shaun.

Shaun:_ Realized what time it was and then remembered my date isn't until today, at 3:00 p.m. So I'm at home. See ya soon! _

Well, at least I knew where he was. I replied:

Me: _Okay! Izzy and I just left the hospital. See ya when we get home!_

Just as I hit the _send _button, I hear Izzy shriek in surprise and I run right smack into some stranger in the parking lot. In shock, I jump 3 feet in the air, literally, and immediately reach for my stake inside my red leather jacket, (which is quite sexy). Fortunately, before I can pull out my stake and beat the living crap of whatever type of demon had the nerve to approach me, the stranger, with his very _human_ hand, reached out and touched my arm. Not in an 'I'm going to kill you' type of way, but as a friendly gesture of apology. I looked up into the person's face and came across the most beautiful set of eyes I had ever seen. They were green, with a hint of purple in them, with a few very small specks of grey dotted here and there. These were the kind of eyes that I could find myself getting lost in, very easily. I shifted my gaze to his whole face, his nose, perfectly shaped with just the right amount of point at the end. His ears, not monkey ears, but not stuck flat to his head either. His mouth, fine lips with just a hint of pink, had a perfect Cupid's bow. He had slightly tousled, short brown hair. I looked to his muscles, his biceps were large and firm. It was as if – and I know this is _such _a cliché – but it was as it there was no one else in the world but us two. We stood there, like complete idiots, him grabbing my arm as I reached for my weapon. Then beside me, I heard Izzy squeal in excitement and take a bite of her Butterfinger, making a very large _crunch _noise.

"Uh, sorry. I, uh, wasn't looking. I should have been paying more attention. Silly me!" I said and laughed nervously, the smile feeling awkward on my lips. This guy was seriously hot. _Me likey!_

"No worries," said the completely _gorgeous _guy who was actually talking to me! He flashed me a genuine smile and kept his eyes glued to mine. Of course, knowing me, I just stood there like a complete idiot and grinned. _Say something! Say _anything! My mind was screaming, but I just stood there. "So, I never caught your name."

"Oh, uh, I'm Lexi. Lexi Parker. " I said, sounding like a dumb-founded three year old. "Hi."

"I'm Chase. Chase Jackson," his flirty smile never once leaving his face. I smiled back.

"Nice to meet you."

"Ditto," he said. Meaning, same here. "What do you say about dinner and a movie sometime. You seem like someone who appreciates a good comedy." He winked at me.

I couldn't believe that I was actually considering his offer! I mean, for one thing, I had just met the guy, and I didn't even know if he is one of the good guys or not! Plus, he could be a total player. But my completely clueless self got the best of me; "Sure. I mean, I would love to. Uh, wanna swap numbers?" I laughed nervously again.

"Definitely," if it was possible, his grin got wider. I pulled my hand out of my jacket and into my jean pocket to grab my phone. I handed him my cell and he handed me his. After we traded phone numbers, Izzy and I said 'Bye' to Chase and both got in the car.

"What was that about?" Izzy asked.

"Hmm?"

"Don't play dumb with me Lexi! That's my job!" She laughed, "You know, the whole new-hottie-guy-just-asked-you-out thing and how you said yes! Oh my _gawd!_ I _never _thought this would happen! He is _hawt! _Nice pick! I would give him, on the hottie-scale of one to ten, he probably gets a 9! Well, unless he's a total douche-bag! In that case I would definitely have to whoop some ass! But he seemed nice. And maybe I'm just over-reacting. He's probably really sweet! And maybe some day you and him will get married and have children and I will become an aunt!" _That will _never _happen! _She nearly jumped out of the car with excitement. _Okay, who gave her sugar this morning? _I thought. Then she picked up right where she left off, "Oh my gawd! I wonder if he has any brothers! Oooo! I'm gonna have to get me some of that Jackson meat! I wonder if they're hot too…" And this is how the whole car ride home went. _AHH! My ears! _I'm surprised my ears didn't fall off. Literally.


	6. Chapter 5

Chapter 5:

"Got the fireworks?" I asked Izzy after Shaun left for a friend's house.

"Yep. Check! Right here," she pointed to her black duffle bag that was full of illegal fireworks. Yes, _illegal_. I'm definitely excited.

"Okay! I called Chase, he should be here right about–" I looked at the clock on the kitchen counter, my heart sank when I saw the time "–twenty minutes ago. Maybe he just ran into holiday traffic. I mean, being the Fourth of July and all, there's probably plenty of tourists around."

"Trust me, he'll show! He's on his way," Izzy informed me.

"And how would _you _know this?" _Why the fuck would Chase tell her and not tell me? _I checked my phone, and my heart sank, yet another time, when I found that there are no new messages.

"'Cause he texted me. Plus, you guys have been dating for what, three months now. Why would he ditch you _now _if he's never ditched you before? Pure guy logic here!"

"Okay then." I thought for a moment and then got out my phone again. I clicked on the _compose message _button and sent a message to Chase;

Me: _Hey babe. Where are you? Izzy and I are waiting._

It took a couple minutes for him to reply, but when he finally did, my heart skipped a beat. He was A-OK and I didn't have to worry.

Chase: _On my way! Traffic is a bitch! I'll be there in like 5. Sorry to keep ya waitin!_

Me: _It's cool! See ya soon! ;)_

"But still!" I said a little too loudly and I nearly made Izzy jump off the seat that she was sitting on. She gave me a _wtf? _look. "Why would he text you that he was on his way when he didn't even bother to text me, his _girlfriend?_"

"I dunno," was all Izzy said. So I just sat there, on a wooden chair, having a mini-thumb-war with myself to pass the time.

Sure enough, exactly five minutes and twenty-two seconds later, I heard Chase's red convertible pull into the drive way. As soon as I heard the door bell ring I jumped up out of my _extremely _uncomfortable chair and nearly sprinted to the door. I opened the door and nearly jumped into Chase's arms. He laughed. His strong hands that were caressing my waist moved up to my lower back and his lips met mine. _I think I just died and went to heaven! _I thought for about the millionth time! His lips were so soft, so nice. His tongue briefly brushing against the inside of my cheek. His kiss was fierce, but it was also so soft, as if he was worried that he might break me. That I was the most delicate thing in the world, and I could shatter into a million pieces at any second. I wanted to freeze right _here_, forever. In this perfect moment with my perfect guy having the most perfect kiss. Ahh, life was good!

"Get a room! Seriously!" I heard Izzy shriek. I reluctantly pulled away from Chase and I could feel him lean in for another kiss. I knew that would disgust Izzy, so I lightly kissed him on the lips. The kiss was short but sweet. I put my hands on his chest. His shirt was soft under my touch.

" I missed you," I said quietly, smiling at him.

"I missed you too," he said back, just as quiet as I had been. He flashed me one of his signature, genuine, and not to mention perfect, smiles.

"Ugh! Can we go?" Izzy whined.

"Uh, yeah. Got the fireworks?"

"Yeah," she sighed. "You already asked me this."

"Oh, uh, right. Then let's go!" I walked out of the house with my fingers entwined with Chase's. We walked into our huge backyard and shot fireworks off all night. Or at least until the Dreadful Demon Crew showed up to try to kill us.

Chase, happily playing with explosives in the middle of our extremely large yard, had just set off the most beautiful red-white-and-blue heart shaped firework, and Izzy and I watched with amazement as a missile-like sound filled our ears when the explosive was shot into the sky. As soon as it hit high altitude, it burst open, creating a perfectly shaped heart. I turned my head to glance at Izzy. She was looking up at the sky, an enormous grin spread on her face, as red, white, and blue light filled her face. I looked over to Chase; he was setting up another firecracker. Just then my gaze shifted to something moving around behind him, near a grove of palm-trees and shrubs. I couldn't see very well since it was dark, but the firework Chase had just shot off gave me just enough light to know what was lurking in the shadows; a demon.

"Go inside! And lock the door!" I demanded Izzy, and, without hearing her response, I sprinted off to rescue Chase, not that he was a damsel-in-distress, or was he? Nah. Definitely not. "RUN!" I yell as loud as I can to Chase, putting all of the breath and force I have left into that one word. I hoped, prayed even, that he would listen to me. I couldn't lose him – not now. _Run! Run! Run! Run! Run! Run! _My mind was reeling. I got to Chase just in time to push him out of the way of a charging demon.

This demon had long, white horns, which probably held a lot of power. His skin was blue, and some of it was even falling off his body, like melting plastic. Bit by bit came off as the demon ran, trying to get his short and stubby legs to move faster. I could tell that even though he was short, he was powerful, and not to mention buff. His biceps were huge! Talk about Juice Abuse! _Lay off the steroids, will ya? _He was barefoot, his feet were big, crunching the grass with every step. And, he was advancing on me, which meant I had to come up with a plan.

I decided to play it by ear, which was probably not the best idea.

I ran towards him, smacking him in the face with a jumping side kick. He flew backwards then started coming towards me again, as if nothing had ever happened.

"Lexi!" I heard Chase scream from behind me. _Not now! Shut the fuck up! Trying to concentrate here!_

"GO INSIDE!" I screamed at him without even looking at him. The demon came within kicking distance and I took full advantage of it. I gave a hard kick to the ribs, then quickly followed that up with a punch to the face, making his head fly back. _That _made him mad. He growled at me, then it was my turn to take a few blows. He punched to my head. I ducked, but didn't come up quick enough when his big-ass knee hit me right in the nose, causing _my _head to fly back. I struck out my leg, taking his legs out from under him. He landed on the ground with a _thud._

He lay there for a couple seconds, but got right back up and wasn't even fazed. _Here we go again_! I thought.

Before I had time to think, he kicked me right in the gut, making my breath leave me in a _whoosh._ _Come on Lexi, suck it up. You're not gonna let this guy kick your ass, are you? _I quickly recovered, punching the ugly fuck in the face again, then I spun around and kicked him right in the head. He staggered, which gave me just enough time to grab his horns and pull my hands, and his horns, down with all my strength and kneeing him in the face, causing his horns to some off with a sickening _rip. _Yellow blood-like fluid spewed out of the sides of his head where his horns used to be. He cried out in pain, gripping his head. I staggered towards him, grabbed his head, and twisted it, breaking his neck with a loud _crack._ I dropped his limp body down to the ground. And, just like _that,_ his carcass turned into nothing more than a pile of yellow fluid. _Done. One down. A billion-gazillion more to go, _I thought to myself.

I walked towards the house, thinking of how to explain this whole incident to Chase. All of my thoughts soon became forgotten though, because he never asked for an explanation of what happened.

"I absolutely, positively _hate _demons! _Especially _blue ones! Icky!" Izzy whispered into my ear.

"Tell me about it!" I whispered and sighed, disappointed that our fireworks had been stopped early.

"We didn't get to the finale! Damn! I was hoping I would get to show off a little!" Chase said. "Oh well, maybe next year." Chase winked at me. _Next year? He wanted to be with me for more than a year? _My heart nearly stopped with happiness. I smiled back at him.

"Yeah. Well, I'm beat! Ooh, I almost, _almost _forgot! I bought red-white-and-blue ice cream!" Chase and Izzy both looked at me with such confusion that they nearly had question marks painted on their faces.

"Red-white-and-blue–" Chase started

"–ice cream?" Izzy finished.

"Yeah, want some?"

"Okay. As long as it tastes good!" Izzy said.

After eating two bowls of ice cream each, which was actually pretty good despite the coloring that left my mouth a brownish color, Chase decided to spend the night. Izzy decided to 'hit the sack' early and Chase and I followed shortly after.

"That was fun!" Chase said as I walked in the room having taken a shower, changed into some comfy pajamas with sushi on them, and brushed me teeth. I pulled my long blonde hair into a bun and secured it with a pony-tail-holder.

"Yeah. I hope we can do it again some time."

"Yeah."

"So you really mean it? I mean, you really think that we will be together for another year, or more?" I ask.

"Well, I dunno about you, but I would love to spend another year, or more, hopefully more, with you. Don't you?"

"Oh, believe me, I do too. It just…surprised me. That's all." I turned off the light to my room and Chase and I snuggled into my bed and got comfy. It felt good, lying in his arms. He kissed me on the forehead and I snuggled closer to him. I was so close to him that it felt as if our bodies were fused together. We sat there in silence for what could have been hours. "I love you," I finally say.

"I love you too, Lexi Parker," he replied. I lifted my head and kissed him with such force I was surprised his head didn't roll off the bed. I felt his hand run through my hair and pull out the elastic holding my hair in a bun, letting my hair fall lose around my shoulders and fall on the bed. He pulled me into his arms tighter and I felt my body entwine with his, fitting together perfectly. After a long while of kissing, I pulled away unwillingly and put my head on his chest.

"Night," I whispered.

"Good night," I heard him whisper back. I fell asleep lying on his chest, in his arms, listening to the steady sound of his breath and the slowing beat of his heart. And I have to admit, it was peaceful.


	7. Chapter 6

Chapter 6:

By habit, I woke up early that morning. It was nice, waking up next to Chase and still being fully clothed. The fact that I still had my pajamas on just further proved my point that Chase isn't like most of the other guys out there. He knew he wasn't gonna get into my pants that easily, and he didn't pressure me. I admired him for it. I rolled over on my right side to face him, trying not to shake the bed too much. He was still sleeping. I have to admit, he looked cute when he slept. His brown hair was even more messy than usual, and his lips looked even more pinkish.

My gaze caught sight of something marking the side of his neck, right below his hairline. And I know what you're thinking, 'Ohmygod! Vampire!' but no, it wasn't a vampire bite. It was, or looked like it was, a tattoo. It was a small triangle with the head of some animal in the center. The triangle was bordered with fire, as if the shape itself was burning. I shifted closer to get a better look. In the center was a bird-like creature that I couldn't identify. It had a long beak that was curved and pointed at the end. Its eye was white, almost like it was glowing. The bird itself was red, and, frankly, it looked like the bird was on fire. I put it on my mental To Do Checklist: _Ask Chase what the fuck that tattoo is all about._ That is, if I remembered to ask him.But that went right after, _save Izzy, Shaun, and Chase, _on my checklist.

Just then, as if he could feel me watching him, Chase woke up. His eyes fluttered open and he turned his head to face me. "Good morning," he said.

"Morning," I smiled back at him. He flashed me a sweet grin.


End file.
